City officials unsure why flood pumps shut down

By ZACK McDONALD | The News Herald

Published: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 08:13 PM.

“The thing that exacerbated problems was three inches the day prior, six inches that day and a tidal surge, with the brunt occurring at high tide, of which the bay was a foot and a half higher than normal,” he said. “And without the pumps running there was nowhere for the water to go.”

The role the city plays after a disaster is limited because there is no financial mechanism in place, but officials are looking at putting an electronic system of different colored lights signaling water levels in Lake Huntington. Commissioners also want to look at FEMA grants for elevating houses in low-lying areas.

“Regardless of what we do the houses will probably flood in the future,” Fravel said. “There will either be a storm bigger than the design storm or an act of God — and if that happens the same thing will happen again.”

Fravel added, “The number one thing I would tell the residents there is they need to have flood insurance.”

Commissioners also:

-Looked over the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2013-2014 and approved a proposed millage rate of 3.8723 with a roll-back rate of 3.8624. Officials announced an increase in taxable property values for the first time since 2007.

-Approved a $131,036 change order to the Panama City Marina/ Civic Plaza phase.

PANAMA CITY — After flooding damaged homes along Lake Huntington over the Independence Day holiday, commissioners have been looking at preventive measures.

Several residents with grievances approached commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting after three pump stations in the area of Cincinnati Avenue and Lake Avenue stopped working during the brunt of rains.

“I had to call fire and rescue to come and get me and my dogs out of there; it got really scary,” said Linda York. “I’m single, self supporting and I’m out of a home really.”

City officials couldn’t fully explain what caused the pumps, which move about 7,500 gallons of water per minute out to the St. Andrew Bay, to shut down. The pumps were designed to handle a 100-year storm over 24 hours of about 13 inches, and if they would have been functioning, flooding could have been avoided, according to Neil Fravel, public works director

“We’re not sure if it was a lightning strike or what but something over there burnt out part of the controls on the pumping system,” Fravel said. “We weren’t sure what the problem was initially and it took us awhile to diagnose that.”

Fravel said a test performed on the pumps the night before the Fourth of July showed the system was working as usual. But, during the night, what could have been a lightning strike took out a circuit breaker.

Houses in the area are not actually in a flood zone, but the pumps’ failure coincided with other factors, none being favorable to residents, Fravel said.

“The thing that exacerbated problems was three inches the day prior, six inches that day and a tidal surge, with the brunt occurring at high tide, of which the bay was a foot and a half higher than normal,” he said. “And without the pumps running there was nowhere for the water to go.”

The role the city plays after a disaster is limited because there is no financial mechanism in place, but officials are looking at putting an electronic system of different colored lights signaling water levels in Lake Huntington. Commissioners also want to look at FEMA grants for elevating houses in low-lying areas.

“Regardless of what we do the houses will probably flood in the future,” Fravel said. “There will either be a storm bigger than the design storm or an act of God — and if that happens the same thing will happen again.”

Fravel added, “The number one thing I would tell the residents there is they need to have flood insurance.”

Commissioners also:

-Looked over the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2013-2014 and approved a proposed millage rate of 3.8723 with a roll-back rate of 3.8624. Officials announced an increase in taxable property values for the first time since 2007.

-Approved a $131,036 change order to the Panama City Marina/ Civic Plaza phase.

-Approved a pilot program for sidewalk cafes in the downtown area.

-Awarded 25 years of service with the Panama City Police Department to Officer Eric Mason.